From Booklist
The author of The Bedford Boys [BKL My 1 03] limns another group portrait of a band of similar World War II soldiers, this time the intelligence and reconnaissance platoon of the 394th Infantry Regiment, 99th Infantry Division. That green division came squarely in the path of the Wehrmacht during the Battle of the Bulge, and that platoon was one of many small units that fought tenaciously to the bitter end. The whole platoon was captured, but only after they had held a crucial road junction long enough to seriously delay Joachim Pieper's SS battle group. More miraculously, all those captured, even the grievously wounded, survived the war; indeed, most were alive to receive decorations in 1980. The narrative moves from the GIs' combat experience at the Bulge to their POW experience until the closing days of the war, and Kershaw handles both combat and internment skillfully and respectfully. A good read for observing the sixtieth anniversary of the Bulge. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Roanoke Times 12/05/04
"This book is a must-read for anyone who wants a renewed sense of patriotism."

Army Magazine 12/04
"Kershaw is a fantastic storyteller.... Anyone who enjoyed [his earlier book] The Bedford Boys would like this [too]"

Wall Street Journal 12/7/04
"America's enemies would do well not to underestimate this [platoon's] sense of courage and duty."

New York Sun 12/14/04
"Gripping and unsentimental....shows that valor comes in many forms."

San Francisco Chronicle 1/3/05
"A concise and winning account...Those interested in military history will find much here that is pleasing and heretofore uncelebrated."

Curled Up With a Good Book 12/14/04
"A well-written book detailing the individual exploits of both American and German combatants."

USA Today 1/19/05
"A riveting read."

Manchester Journal 12/17/05
"The most intimate and detailed account yet published of eighteen men who stopped Hitler's last major offensive of the war."

Military.com February 2005
"Kershaw recounts the story of the I&R Platoon in dramatic fashion...[and] puts a personal face on the action."

Book Description
From the author of the best-selling The Bedford Boys, the remarkable story of America's most decorated platoon that miraculously halted Hitler's massive offensive at the Battle of the Bulge On a cold morning in December, 1944, deep in the Ardennes forest, a platoon of eighteen men under the command of twenty-year-old lieutenant Lyle Bouck were huddled in their foxholes trying desperately to keep warm. Suddenly, the early morning silence was broken by the roar of a huge artillery bombardment and the dreadful sound of approaching tanks. Hitler had launched his bold and risky offensive against the Allies-his"last gamble"-and the small American platoon was facing the main thrust of the entire German assault. Vastly outnumbered, they repulsed three German assaults in a fierce day-long battle, killing over five hundred German soldiers and defending a strategically vital hill. Only when Bouck's men had run out of ammunition did they surrender to the enemy. As POWs, Bouck's platoon began an ordeal far worse than combat-survive in captivity under trigger-happy German guards, Allied bombing raids, and a daily ration of only thin soup. In German POW camps, hundreds of captured Americans were either killed or died of disease, and most lost all hope. But the men of Bouck's platoon survived-miraculously, all of them. Once again in vivid, dramatic prose, Alex Kershaw brings to life the story of some of America's little-known heroes-the story of America's most decorated small unit, an epic story of courage and survival in World War II, and one of the most inspiring stories in American history.

From the Back Cover
"Hitler's last desperate gamble - the Battle of the Bulge - might have changed history if not for the do-or-die heroism of eighteen brave American boys. General Eisenhower called their actions 'the most outstanding tactical maneuver in World War II.' The Longest Winter is their incredible tale. I highly recommend this moving story of uncommon valor." (James Bradley, author of Flags of Our Fathers and Flyboys) "The Longest Winter is a gripping saga about raw courage and superhuman endurance. Alex Kershaw recounts what it was like to fight against Nazi aggression at the Battle of the Bulge. A truly heroic book." (Douglas Brinkley, Director of the Eisenhower Center for American Studies at the University of New Orleans, and author of Tour of Duty)

About the Author
Alex Kershaw is the author of the widely acclaimed book, The Bedford Boys, and two biographies: Jack London, and more recently, Blood and Champagne: The Life and Times of Robert Capa. He lives in Vermont.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"It was a cold December morning in 1944, deep in the Ardennes forest of Belgium. Eighteen men of a small intelligence platoon commanded by twenty-year-old lieutenant Lyle Bouck were huddled in their foxholes, desperately trying to keep warm. Suddenly the early morning silence was broken by the roar of a huge artillery bombardment. Hitler had launched his bold and risky offensive against the Allies - his "last gamble" - and the American platoon was facing the main thrust of the entire German assault." "Vastly outnumbered, the platoon repulsed three German assaults in a fierce day-long battle to defend a strategically vital hill. Only when Bouck's men had run out of ammunition did they surrender." "But their long winter was just beginning." As POWs, Bouck's platoon experienced an ordeal far worse than combat - surviving in captivity with trigger-happy German guards, Allied bombing raids, and a starvation diet. While hundreds of other captured Americans in German POW camps were either killed or died of disease, the men of Bouck's platoon miraculously survived - all of them - and returned home after the war. More than thirty years later, when President Carter recognized the unit's "extraordinary heroism" and the U.S. Army approved combat medals for all eighteen men, they became America's most decorated platoon of World War II.

FROM THE CRITICS

Wall Street Journal

America's enemies would do well not to underestimate this platoon's sense of courage and duty.

Roanoke Times

This book is a must-read for anyone who wants a renewed sense of patriotism.

Army Magazine

Kershaw is a fantastic storyteller.... Anyone who enjoyed [his earlier book The Bedford Boys would like this too.

New York Sun

Gripping and unsentimental....shows that valor comes in many forms.

Library Journal

Though this book's subtitle is plainly overstated, there's no doubting the extraordinary heroism and pivotal contribution of the 394th Infantry Regiment's scout platoon in blunting the German advance during the opening hours of the Battle of the Bulge. The platoon's gallant stand has been chronicled in works like Charles MacDonald's A Time for Trumpets, but Kershaw (The Bedford Boys) relates the story of the platoon from its inception at Camp Maxey, TX, to its desperate fight at Lanzerath, Belgium, on December 16, 1944, as well as platoon members' subsequent experiences in captivity. Though the story itself is remarkable, the narrative is somewhat meandering and not entirely satisfying. A casual reader might well overlook the grammatically incorrect German phrases that the author liberally sprinkles throughout. However, this poor attention to detail surfaces elsewhere, as when the author incorrectly places Hammelburg, the site of the platoon's POW camp, 70 miles west of Frankfurt in the Rhone valley; misidentifies Generals Bradley, Montgomery, and Devers as army commanders; and credits the 2nd Division with originally preparing the scout platoon's fighting positions at Lanzerath. An optional purchase for public libraries.-Edward Metz, Combined Arms Research Lib., Ft. Leavenworth, KS Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

Hitler's last desperate gamble - the Battle of the Bulge - might have changed history if not for the do-or-die heroism of eighteen brave American boys. General Eisenhower called their actions 'the most outstanding tactical maneuver in World War II.' The Longest Winter is their incredible tale. I highly recommend this moving story of uncommon valor. — (James Bradley, author of Flags of Our Fathers and Flyboys)